Il Capitano surpasses himself this time
Congratulations everyone on another fantastic display at the South of the Thames Championships. What a performance, and what a sequence of wins. Five victories from 1998-2006. Not bad methinks for “a club in decline”, as our chief taunter Martin Duff wrote in AW of late. I can’t remember seeing such fine packing by our boys in the early stages - I just wish I’d had the ability to join the party.
This was certainly the club’s best cross-country performance since the famous day at the National in ’04, and shows that the season could yet come nicely to the boil.
To take a trip down memory lane here are the previous four winning teams from 1998-2006 and some highlights from Alan’s reports:
1998
Team:
Kassa Tadesse 1st
Gary Staines 2nd
Jim Estall 3rd (man of the match)
Clive Gilby 5th
Ray Foley 13th
Mike Webb 27th
“The 99th running of the South of Thames Championship saw Belgrave totally dominate the proceedings.
The total score of all sixteen of our men would still have seen us winners of the 12 to score – one has to go back to 1895 for such a commanding performance.”
1999
Team:
Najibe Hliouat 4th
Paul Coughlan 13th
Roger Alsop 16th
Gerry Adams 19th
Phil Carstairs 21st
Will Cockerell 22nd (man of the match – though I say it myself…)
“Cross country days don’t come much sweeter than this.
Blackheath on their home patch seemed to have the strongest outfit.
The final circuit saw Will Cockerell come charging through, displacing Saul Armanini as sixth man.
Manager Alan Mead came up with a Belgrave score of 95…John Jeffery was looking over the shoulder of Blackheath’s manager – and then came scuttling back. “They’ve got 103”.
Our boys were cock-a-hoop.”
2000
Team:
Yitbarek Dinku 4th
Charles Herrington 8th
Rob McHarg 10th
Al Stewart 16th (man of the match)
Kevin Nash 24th
Kevin Quinn 33rd
“With sleet blowing across the playing fields we were given a boost by Al Stewart whose back was now not quite so bad. He’d decided to give it a try.
Two laps gone and Brighton had improved their packing…the race was about even.
One more lap – could we hold on? The answer appeared to be “no”.
Clocking the runners in, no thought was given to a win.
Brighton had scored 101…”Belgrave have got 95!” excited mathematicians called out.”
2004
Team:
Tim Watson 5th
Knut Hegvold 7th
Will Cockerell 9th
Tom Ellacott 15th
Elliot Lyne 21st
Mike Trees 23rd (man of the match)
“It was quite like old times: three times round our cross country course in the depths of December.
As Gordon Biscoe stumbled on a tussock that had him lying headlong, he had to remind himself that 50 winters have passed since he first laid out cross country courses on the Common with Arthur Whitehead.
Mike Trees realised he had over-reached himself and wisely eased back to avoid a complete collapse.
Lap two saw veteran Knut Hegvold moving up the order with “Skip” in tow. Tom Ellacott was also making excellent progress. But in the face of all this, Kent’s navy-blue singlets were all moving forward – a slip now and we’d lose it!
There was no slip.”
2006
Man of the match award… a 6-way slugfest… so close… everyone had a stormer… it’s the redoubtable Pete Willis by a whisker…
I've got my BELS!
To finish with, and to give you a glimpse of the future delights of Mission 6-7 I have taken the lyrics of the famous song by Nina Simone “I Ain’t got no…I got life”; where she bemoans all the things she doesn’t have, but then remembers things she does…
Here’s my little twist slant on things:
Got no clue…got no long spikes… got no purchase…got no talent…got no idea how to run a race like this…
Got no youth, got no technique, got no future when it’s muddy, got no friends running with me, only foes…
Got no hope, got no grip, got no resolve to hold my place, got no energy, got no pleasure, got no fighting spirit today…
What have I got? Why do I do this anymore? Why do I still even run?
Got my Phil
Got my Dave
Got my Mike
Got my Pete
Got my Alex
Got my John
Got my Club!
Got my back-up
Got my twelve
Got my Alan
Got my Pat
Got my supporters
Got my wife with a bump running faster than me…
What have I got? Why do I do this anymore? Why do I still even run?
Got my mission ‘6-7'
Got my new 15mms
Got my county champs at Lloyders
Got my Surrey League on home patch
Got my Southerns at Holkham Hall…
Got my Surrey League at Richmond
Got my ninth National up north
Got my team all going there
Got my medal when I finish in scoring six…
Got my relays
Got my 12-stages
Got my annual romp in Milton Keynes…
Got my National
Got my Sutton Park
Got my 3rd Gold medal on April 14th I dream…
Got my marathon in London
Got my pace-judgement this time
Got my resolve not to go off like a clown
Got my sub 2:24 at long last…
What have I got? Why do I do this anymore? Why do I still even run?
I got my BELS!!
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.